Thursday, November 17, 2011

It’s been a while since I have posted anything.I wonder if anyone still bothers to drop by?Where have you been Walker?Nowhere really, mostly locked up at home working on the house or laying on the couch battling the demons in my head.The demons are manifestations of other people’s problems and mine jumbled up in a small salad bowl.It’s so full that when you stab a something to tackle something use you are not ready to deal with falls off the other side of the bowl and over filling your plate.And, I know it’s not only me, many of you have suddenly found yourselves going the doggie in shit you’re not used to dealing with.

The economy, money is the main culprit.The people who have been controlling the purse strings, the same people who speculated in the future by racing ahead of the bottom line to be there first are the reason we are where we are.I am not saying progress is bad but if we can’t afford it right now why should we get it?Our economy is getting worse and it’s tricking all the way down to us, the ones who in the end suffer for it.

Somewhere somehow we have to find an equality for all our good.Europe is sinking with the big fat Euro sagging with Greece and Italy sucking it dry.We are here fighting bill collectors and banks while in countries like Greece, they don’t have income tax, property tax or a multitude of fees that we are extorted into paying or we loose these services and these people are complaining.They get 1000 euro gift for Christmas.What do we get?I credit card bill or stale fruitcake from the person you gave it to last year.They get another cash gift for Easter.I’m lucky to have money left to buy a Cadbury egg after paying my property tax.

I walk through the malls searching for Christmas gifts and as I do I also check to see where the items are made.Almost everything is made in China which is fine in our capitalistic society but I am curious to know if I went to China and walked through The gang Of Four shopping mall would I find rows upon rows of products, made in Canada?If not, why not?

Unemployment is up, something has to happen.If we are going to have trade with other countries then our exports and imports should be equal.I mean, we will buy 40 billion dollars of good from China but they should at least buy 40 billion dollars worth of beaver tail from us.That’s fair.It keeps both of our economies churning along together but no, we instead allow Canadian companies do wither away against the tide from the East and fill the void by allowing more to come in than goes out.All this has been doing is creating potholes in our economy and its reached the point where now we are falling in these holes and being buried way over our heads.

It’s frustrating to try and maneuver through life as everyone else tries to do the same thing.I don’t blame the prices of the people selling the items I blame those who have allowed our economy to be invaded without a fight.Remember free trade in North America?Mexico United States and Canada against the world.What idiot thought that up?The second we all signed on the companies closed down their operations and went to make their shit in other countries with miniscule wage costs by using child labor.How do we compete with that?We can’t but we take in their products for our shelves.

For the last month I have been working on my and my mother’s kitchen cupboards.I had someone give me a quote last year and the4y came back with $15,000 and that wasn’t a fancy kitchen.$15,000?That’s a lot of coin to me especially in this.I know people have to make money to pay employees but that’s a lot of money for fake wood.The granite top was nice and I wouldn’t have taken it but it was only 3000 so the fake wood was 12,000.

My father went to buy some recycled cabinets.We are into green methods.They wanted 1500 for the used ones and 1000 to install them and that’s without the countertop.So we opted, did I say we, they opted to make me do all the work.So off I went to home depot.While I was there I walked around looking and listening to what others were buying and it was evident there were a lot of people like me out there doing the work on our own.After a couple of hours I came back with 200 dollars in wood and other supplies.I have a ton of tools so it was time to see how well I remembered using them.After a week of sawing, sanding and nailing my mother’s cupboards were finished and the top section of mine were done.All I built with wood, not melamine or what every they use today.Not only are they nicer to look at but they are lighter.200 bucks is what it all cost.Not 15000 or 15000.

Could a carpenter done a better job?Damn right he could have but I can’t afford one and there was no way I was going to get a mortgage to do it.Should we pay a carpenter 75 an hour or a car mechanic, plumber or electrician for that matter?I’d pay 30 but for 75 I will try and figure it out on my own and be happy with what I end up.

I don’t want someone services for free and they do deserve to get paid well but what is well and what is gouging?Most of the people I know make between 14000 and 24000.The economy is so lopsided its not going to get any better unless we find a balance.The lack of work for these professionals makes them jack up their prices out of our range or work under the table robbing the government coffers of needed taxes.

What’s the cure for the economy?I think it’s responsible government, something we all lack.To many politicians have to many outside interests and fix things for themselves.Why else would someone give up a five hundred thousand dollar a year job for a hundred thousand instead?

If the scales were balanced, the economy would be better.People would have jobs and I would be here bitching about the new 6000 dollar furnace they just installed next door.OKThere are some things even I wouldn’t try to install.

That’s one demon down I guess, now to go poke at that salad and see what falls out this time.I hope all of you out there are doing well and still swimming above the waves.

9 comments:

Hi walker. I was wondering how things were in your neck of the blogasphere. all's well here on the east coast. weather is colder, we even had a dusting of snow. i need to write more and visit around more. thinking of you often, and I bet those cabinets are just right~ after all that is what those who came before us did....the figured it out and built it, whatever IT was. anyway, take care friend. how is kitty? you still have him?

Hey. Nice to see you wrote a post. You've been missed. I'm working very hard at making most of my gifts this year or if I do buy something.... it's local. But as you said, it's not easy.

I have the same worries about the economy and I came home last night and told the Mister that I had too much junk in my head I just went straight to bed.

The world is crazy and sometimes I think the internet just brings all that crazy into our living rooms... is that good? Do I really need to worry about Greece or should we all be worrying more about out local issues/problems?

Liane: hello there... look at that... i find myself with some time on my hands (a rare thing these days) and read your blog ;-) Wow... you made yourself comfortable on that soap box for a while, eh? ;-) I think everyone is complaining about the current "world" economy, rich, middle class (whatever is left of it) and the poor.. and all for their own legitimate reasons. It's a dance we humans have been dancing for hundred's of years and we will continue to dance it until the end of times... economy goes up and down.. and always in a different way for each individual... what is the solution? I don't believe that there is one... perhaps we all as individual have a choice ... be as dependent or as independent as possible. Of course, most people do have to depend on a job .. but with that comes the risk of always losing that job too... but is government regulation the right answer (greater dependency)? Again, an answer everyone has to give for themselves. I had an interesting discussion some time ago about people and their dependency in regards to survival... question was: are we people doing this to ourselves? After all, it's "we, the people" who give the politicians their power. the politicians (as corrupt as many are) can only do what the people want them to do (in many countries, anyway)... It will get better.. it always does.. you see what I did there? Positive thinking, my friend..lol

On another note... besides feeling the pressure of the economy.. how are you?

I haven't written a blog on either of my two sites.. it is about time that I catch my audience up on what the heck I have been up to, would you agree?

Liane: We all are feeling the pressure of the economy but for me what hurts the most is the cure they are trying to use to fix it.Taxing the over taxed instead of cutting back unnecessary services would help,.Here they announced that they are building seven ice skating shacks at $750,000 each. These are 20x20 foot shacks made out of pressure treated wood.Ummm........

Me I am holding up.Really busy and got a few things on my mind for now including freakin xmas shopping.I think the stores should have a holiday for us once a year.Everything you can carry for free.

Boxer: I miss blogging but i am busy and when i am not all i want to do is sleep.It all trickles down from the top.WE want to focus on what we need to keep us going but those who control the purse strings are not on the same page.I think politicians should get paid normal people wages and not what they get so they can feel the fatty going up our collective butts when we bend over to pick up a penny we got lucky to find.We don;t live in a perfect world and never will as long as people call the shots.Most of the time we are like two legged lemurs running for the cliff.Of course the healthy ones jump over while the old and slow are left to clean up the mess.

C'est la vie

Oh, that's a nice song to, I think i will go fetch it just for this post.